Hammer



Patented Dec. 26, 1939 HAMMER Sanford S. Vaughan, Oak Park, Ill.,assigner to Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation ofIllinois- Application December 30, 1936, Serial No. 118,339

3 Claims. (Cl. 145-61) l anlass The present invention relates generallyto hammers for use by carpenters and others in hammering or drivingnails and other objects. More particularly the invention relates to thattype of hammer which is known as a claw hammer and embodies in additionto a drop-forged head with an elongated open ended eye in its centralportion and an arcuate nail removing claw at the top thereof and acylindrical hammer part lat the bottom, yan elongated handle which isformed of wood and has a comparatively thick grip forming part at oneend, a` tapered part of polygonal cross-section at its other end fittingr within the eye of the head, and a neck part of reduced thicknessbetween and serving to connect the grip forming part and the taperedpart.

In the manufacture of a hammer of this type it has heretofore beenproposed to bevel or chamfer the corner portions of the neck part of thehandle in order to reduce the neck part in cross-sectional area and makeit springy or resilient to 'the end that better results can be obtainedwith the hammer as a whole and continued use of the hammer is lessfatiguing. Because but a small amount of material or stock can beremoved from the neck part of the handle without weakening the handle tothe point where it is likely to fracture during use, the degree ofspringiness or resiliency which is obtained as the result of the bevelor charnfer operation is so small that it is practically negligible orinconsequential and the intended results are not achieved. 4

One object of this invention is to provide a claw hammer in which theneck part of the wooden handle is of such cross-sectional design that ithas substantially the same resistance to fracture or breakage as abeveled or chamfered neck part and at the same time is materially morespringy and resilient with the result that the hammer as a whole is moreefcient, practicai and durable and is less fatiguing to the user thanconventional or standard hammer of the aforementioned character, thatis, one in which the corners of 'the neck part of the handle are beveledchamfered.

Another object of the invention is to provide a claw hamm-er of the typeunder consideration in which the reduced neck part of the wooden handleis elliptical in cross-section and is ren dei-ed springy or resilient tothe desired extent by means of specially located and shaped longitudinalflutes.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a claw hammer whichisnot only of new and improved construction but is also pleasing inappearance.

ther objects of the invention and the various advantages andcharacteristics of the present claw hammer will be apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description,

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are y.

more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specication ordisclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote correspondingparts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a claw hammer embodyingthe invention;

Figure 2 is a plan viewof the wooden handle of the improved hammer;

Figure 3 is a side view of the handle; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged vtransverse section of the neck part of thehammer handle showing in detail the cross-sectional design andconstruction of the neck part and the arrangement and character of theflutes which serve to give the neck part increased springiness orresiliency without in any way impairing its resistance to breakage orfracture.

The hammer which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferredembodiment of the invention and is essentially of the claw variety. It

' is primarily adapted fork use in carpentry and consists of a head 5and` a handle 6.

The'head is shownin the drawing as being of conventional or standarddesign. It is in the form of a one piece drop-forging and comprises anelongated open ended eye 'l in the central portion thereof, an arcuatenailremoving claw 3 at the top and a cylindrical hammering part 9 at thebottom. The eye 'l embodies a top wall, a pairof side walls and a bottomwall which together define a longitudinally extending socket ill. Thelatter is polygonal in cross-section and extends from one end of the eyeto the other. The claw B is curved and projects upwardly and rearwardlyfrom, and is formed integrally with, the outer portion of the top wallof the eye. It serves as an instrumentality or medium'for removing nailsand embodies a V-shaped clefty Il and a pair of laterally spaced clawforming members i2. The hammering part i) of the head is disposedbeneath the outer portion of the bottom wall of the eye and is connectedto the latter by a reduced stem-like part I3.

The handle 6 is formed of wood. It is adapted for use in wielding thedrop-forged head 5 and embodies a comparatively thickr grip-forming partlll at one end, a tapered part l5 of polygonal cross-section at itsother end, and a neck part I6 of reduced thickness between thegripforming and tapered parts. The grip-forming part I4 of the handle, 6is elliptical in cross-section and its length is approximately equal toone-half the entire length of the handle. The central portion of thegrip-forming part of the handle is concave or dished so that it may bereadily gripped and the extreme outer end'of the gripforming part formsan enlarged abutment which prevents the handle from slipping` from theusers hand during use of the hammer. The tapered part I5 of the handlefits within the sock-et It in the eye 'I of the drop forged head and issecured against remo-val by wedges (not shown) in the small end thereof.In connecting the handle to the head the tapered part is inserted intothe socket I D and is then driven inwards until it is securely xedwithin the socket. Thereafter the aforementioned wedges are applied byhammering or driving them into the small end of the tapered part I5.'Ihe inner end of the tapered part I5, that is, the large end issubstantially the same height and thickness as 'the inner portion of thegrip-forming part I4 of the handle. The neck part of the handle extendsbetween and connects the grip-forming part I4 and the tapered part I5.It is elliptical in cross section and is of reduced thickness andheight, as shownin Figures 2 and 3. The thickness of the central portionof the neck part is about twothirds the thickness of the inner endportion of the grip forming part I4 and the height of the centralportion of the neck part I6 is approximately two-thirds the height ofthe grip-forming part I4. The end portion of the neck part I6 which iscontiguous to or joins the tapered part I5 is slightly flared in thedirection of said tapered part, as shown in Figure 3, and the oppositeend portion of the neck part I6, that is, the portion which joins and iscontiguous to the inner end portion of the grip-forming part I4 islikewise flared to a slight extent.

In order to make the neck part I6 of the handle 6 so springy orresilient that there is a slight spring action between the head 5 andthe grip forming part I4 of the handle and shocks resulting from impactor blows are readily absorbed by the neck part and are hence nottransmitted from the head to the grip-forming part I4, a pair of flutesI'I and a pair of flutes I8 are provided. The flutes I l are formed inand extend longitudinally of the sides of the neck part I6 of thehandle. They are substantially segmental in cross-section, as shown inFigure 4, and extend from a point slightly inwards of the flared innerend of the neck part, that is, the end which is contiguous to thetapered part I5 of the handle to a point slightly inwards of the flaredouter end of the neck part I6, that is, the end part which is contiguousto and joins the grip-forming part I4. The flutes I8 are formed in andextend lengthwise of the top and bottom portions of the neck part I6 ofthe handle. They are substantially segmental in cross-section and theends thereof are substantially conterminous with the ends of the flutesI'I. The flutes I'I and I8 are comparatively shallow. They do, however,change the cross-sectional design of the neck part of the handle so thatsuch part is comparatively springy or resilient although not weakened toany material extent as far as resistance to fracture or rupture isconcerned. By reason of the springiness or resiliency which is affordedby the flutes il and I8 the hammer can'be used for a comparatively longtime without fatiguing or tiring the user.- In addition the `hammer isextremely efcient in operation. This is directly attributable to thefact that the flutes I'I and I8 permit of a small amount of springbetween the head and the grip forming part I6 of the handle and it ishencepossible to wield the head with a slight snap or spring action. Byforming the flutes I'I and I8 in the neck part I6 the handle as far asthe neck part is concerned is much more springy than a handle of thesame size but having a neck part with beveled or chamfered edges.

The herein described hammer may be produced at a low and reasonable costand is not only ecient but is also practical and durable due withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire 'tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a hammering tool comprising a headhaving an eye, and a one-piece Wooden handle consisting of acomparatively thick grip-forming part at one end, a tapered part at theother end fitting and secured within the eye of the head and a reducedneck part of elliptical cross-section extending between and serving toconnect the grip-forming` part and the tapered part and having laterallyspaced longitudinal comparatively shallow flutes of substantiallysegmental cross-section formed therein whereby it is renderedappreciably springy' or resilient.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a hammering tool comprising a headhaving an eye, and a one-piece wooden handle consisting of acomparatively thick grip-forming part at one end, a tapered part at theother end fitting and secured within the eye of the head, and a neckpart of reduced thickness and height and of elliptical cross-sectionextending between and serving to connect the grip-fo-rming part and thetapered part and having formed therein no less than four laterallyspaced longitudinal comparatively shallow flutes of substantiallysegmental cross- .4

section whereby it is rendered appreciably springy or resilient.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a hammering tool comprising a headhaving an eye, and a one-piece Wooden handle consisting of acomparatively thick grip-forming part at one end, a n

taperedpart at the other end fitting and secured within the eye of thehead, anda reduced neck part of elliptical cross-section extendingbetween and serving to connect the grip forming part and said taperedpart and having a pair of opposed centrally positioned comparativelyshallow longitudinal flutes of substantially segmental crosssection inthe sides thereof and a pair of opposed centrally positionedcomparatively shallow longitudinal flutes of similar length andcrosssection in its top and bottom portions whereby it is renderedappreciably springy or resilient.

SANFORD S. VAUGI-IAN.

